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Deserializing UniPlus UNIX?

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blusnowkitty:
I recently found a set of disk images for UniPlus UNIX so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately the boot disk appears to be serialized to another Lisa as it just gives me an error along the lines of "Not the right computer" and ejects the disk. Does anyone know how to deserialize the boot disk, or better yet does anyone have a set of already deserialized images?

blusnowkitty:
Never mind on that - I found an old post by Ray showing how to patch the boot disk. I also found an installation guide over here: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/unisoft/UniPlus+_System_V_Installation_Instructions.html

However, the installer hangs at Step D:


--- Code: ---D. Re-insert the boot ("A") diskette and enter "sunix". After a
while the diskette will be ejected and you will be asked to
insert the "root filesystem", which is the "B" diskette. Do so,
and then hit return.

You will be asked for the location of the "swap" area. Indicate
"p" and hit Return. Then respond with "0" and hit Return when
asked for the number.

Unix will now start operation! You will see the "#" Unix prompt.
However, it is a very limited system at this point.
--- End code ---

Instead of the UNIX prompt, I only get a solid block cursor. No disk activity at all from my X/Profile or floppy, and no keyboard input is accepted. The only thing that is accepted is the power button. Is it possible that there's another serialization check it's failing at?

jamesdenton:
As far as I remember, that's the only check.

Feel free to try this disk image instead:

https://github.com/arcanebyte/uniplus/blob/master/boot-serialization-a-serialized.image.zip

This worked from both a FloppyEmu and a real floppy disk.

rayarachelian:
Yeah, only the installer disk is serialized, it then formats the ProFile and installs the boot block + boot loader within the first 100 blocks (or perhaps it's (0x100=256 blocks). Once running UniPlus cannot access the first 100 blocks and thus you cannot copy the installed OS using dd. That's the whole scheme.

UniPlus was one of the very first software to use activation. Although I've never seen it myself, looking at the docs, the boot installer disk when virgin would prompt you to call a phone number and read some values to them - those values were based on your Lisa's serial number, likely encrypted with the rotor algorithm, I'm not sure they actually used DES back then, but it's possible they did.

Then the person at the other end would presumably give you a one time activation key, and the boot disk would modify itself to your Lisa and not allow further installs except to this one specific Lisa.

There is source code for UniPlus up on bitsavers so you can see the disk drivers and where it skips the first 100 blocks of the disk.

blusnowkitty:

--- Code: ---(C) Copyright 1983 - UniSoft Corporation
    68000 Unix System V - August 1983

Created Fri Jul 13  10:01:43 PDT 1984

UniSoft Systems distribution system release 1.1
Available user memory is 779776 bytes
Microdiskette with 1 head


Where is the swap area?
Enter:  'p' for the builtin disk or a profile disk
'c' for Corvus disk
p
Where will the disk be?
Enter:  '0' for builtin port
'1' for Expansion Slot 1, Bottom Port
'2' for Expansion Slot 1, Top Port
'3' for Expansion Slot 2, Bottom Port
'4' for Expansion Slot 2, Top Port
'5' for Expansion Slot 3, Bottom Port
'6' for Expansion Slot 3, Top Port
0


swapdev = 0x1

2 serial ports
█
--- End code ---

No dice with the above patched disk. Both my efforts and the linked above only get me as far as here in the boot process. After that, nothing - no floppy, no Profile, no keyboard. Just a softlock until I press the power button. I threw the images into IDLE for fun and it hung here as well. The manual also seems to mention the 2/10 and Mac XL most often; maybe UniPlus depends on a weird quirk of the 2/10 that isn't present in the 2/5?

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